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Georgia’s prime minister warned Tuesday that the longtime West-leaning country may “revise” ties with the United States, after Washington announced sanctions on Tbilisi for its handling of mass protests.
The US slapped sanctions against two Georgian interior ministry officials Monday “for their involvement in serious human rights abuse” during weeks of protests against a Russian-styled “foreign influence” law.
“If one more such step is taken, this might lead to a revision of Georgia’s stance on US-Georgian relations,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said in a meeting with US ambassador Robin Dunnigan, according to a statement by the premier’s office.
Kobakhidze said the US sanctions aimed to benefit opposition parties ahead of crucial parliamentary elections scheduled in October.
Opponents of the country’s ruling party Georgian Dream have accused it of steering Tbilisi away from the West and closer to Russia.
In May, Georgian Dream lawmakers adopted the controversial law targeting NGOs despite weeks of mass anti-government protests and Western condemnation.
The US had urged Georgia to drop the law, which it said is anti-democratic.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Monday that Washington is “taking additional steps to impose visa restrictions on more than 60 Georgian individuals and their family members responsible for, or complicit in, undermining democracy in Georgia”.
“We remain concerned about human rights abuses and anti-democratic actions in Georgia, and we will continue to consider additional actions in response,” he said in a statement.
Having initially pursued a liberal pro-Western policy agenda when it came to power in 2012, Georgian Dream has over the last two years intensified its anti-Western and anti-liberal positions.
Critics accuse it of moving closer into the Kremlin’s orbit and jeopardising Georgia’s bid for EU membership.
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Publish date : 2024-09-17 10:45:00
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